Getting Used to your Hearing Aids
It is very common for sounds to be annoying at first. In some cases, the sound of a hearing aid user’s voice can also feel irritating since you will be hearing your voice and other sounds at a level that you probably have not heard in a very long time. Fortunately, most hearing aid users adapt to this new hearing experience through what we call the “Acclimatisation Process”. Adapting to hearing aids takes approximately 30 days. Meanwhile, you should try and wear the hearing aids all the time during waking hours, in order to get acclimatised to their new hearing environment. Here are some tips from our Audiologist on how best to adapt to your hearing aids:
- Do not start at full volume. If you feel that the sound is initially too loud, switch between the 3 pre-programmed modes available and manipulate the output using the volume control on the back of the hearing aid. Once you get comfortable gradually increase the volume until the required intensity.
- Try to wear the hearing aids as much as possible. Do it in a gradual way. Start with 2-3 hours per day then gradually increase the number of hours.
- Discover your new hearing environment: Start with your regular & quiet environment then discover other busy and noisy environment.
- Identify and takes notes of the sounds that are disturbing you
- Keep logging your progress. As time will pass, you should feel more habituated and comfortable
Keep in mind, adjustment needs time!